This invention relates to dental anchors for retaining a superstructure on broken or undermined dentition, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for reinforcing and/or splinting together such dental anchors in order to improve their strength and retention ability.
When a tooth becomes broken or undermined, a common dental procedure is to build a superstructure onto the tooth stub. The procedure involves initially cutting down or suitably preparing the tooth stub, and then inserting one or more dental anchors into the tooth stub. The anchors generally comprise an elongate member having an anchoring portion at one end for securement within the tooth stub, with the other end projecting from the tooth stub. A superstructure is built onto the projecting end portion, thus being retained in place by securement to projecting end portion of the dental anchor.
Numerous dental anchors are presently available, as for example, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,434,209 and 3,675,329, both assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In using dental anchors, it is generally desired to improve their strength as well as their retention capabilities for holding the superstructure thereon. An enlarged head may be formed on the projecting portion of the anchor in order to aid in the retention of the superstructure. Threads, grooves, or other types of channels are usually formed above the periphery of the dental anchors, to further improve its retention capabilities. Further improvement can be achieved by enlarging the anchor, however this would provide increased difficulty in inserting the anchor into the tooth stub.
Another dental procedure may require the splinting together of adjacent teeth. Various dental splints are presently available for this purpose. Normally, a channel is formed between the adjacent teeth and a suitable splint inserted within the channel. While the available splints are generally quite useful, nevertheless, it would be helpful if standard dental anchors could also be utilized in a splinting arrangement between adjacent dentition.